151: Lord of Decay

Chapter 151: Withering Holy Lord

Principal Su's senses were incredibly sharp.

Moreover, the hiding skills of these guys were subpar, allowing him to detect the scent of Fel Energy.

As soon as the scent of Fel Energy emerged, he roughly understood the situation.

Shi Li was in great danger right now.

"Little Huo, Little Chang, I'm sorry."

Principal Su made an instant decision, his expression solemn.

In his heart, Huo Guang and Chang Zhun were naturally far less important than Shi Li.

"Don't worry, I can handle them."

Although Huo Guang didn't understand what was happening, he could sense the other party's emotions.

Besides that, he could also feel the hostility of the Banlan Tribe guards.

"Don't worry, I can wear them down."

Chang Zhun nodded.

These words made the corners of the eyes of the Banlan Tribe members opposite twitch instantly.

This guy's bad reputation had already spread far and wide.

"I'll be back as soon as possible."

Leaving these words, Principal Su flashed and disappeared.

The duel with The Master had consumed a lot of Shi Li's Energy.

The consumption of a high-quality card game was not comparable to an ordinary one.

He had only just caught his breath for a short while when the sounds of battle erupted outside.

"So, what's the situation now?"

He looked at A Ya Jun.

"Everything is the Great Great Grand Elder's plan."

A Ya Jun explained what had happened in the briefest possible words.

It turned out that the traces of the Blacklight Society's layout over the past few years had actually been detected by the Banlan Tribe long ago.

The reason they hadn't taken action and had allowed it to continue until now was to catch them all in one go and ferret out the deepest hidden traitors.

And A Ya Jun's feigned allegiance to the Blacklight Society was also at the Great Great Grand Elder's instruction.

This was to accurately steal their action plan for today.

"Sorry, we originally thought everything was under control."

After speaking, A Ya Jun offered an apology.

After all, as an outsider, Shi Li would not have been informed of the plan to capture the evil ones.

And in the original plan, he was supposed to deal with The Master himself, leaving A Luya to Shi Li.

But who could have known that The Master had advanced to Platinum 9 for today?

"Let's go."

Shi Li didn't care, he just waved his hand at A Ya Jun.

"Where to?"

"To watch the excitement, of course."

He was not one to shy away from trouble.

"..."

A Ya Jun thought about it and agreed; staying here wasn't a solution either.

So, the two of them walked out.

As a result, card game duels could be seen happening everywhere.

The two card players in the duels were, on one side, guards of the Banlan Tribe, and on the other, Blacklight Society rebels.

And it was very easy to tell which side was which.

Because the rebel card players not only had Fel Energy faintly swirling around them, but they also used Fel Energy cards.

Looking along the way, the duels between the guards and the rebels had wins and losses.

But miraculously, no outside card players they encountered attacked the two of them, no matter which side.

"It seems your face is quite valuable."

Shi Li quickly realized.

As the strongest local genius of this Torch Raising Ceremony, A Ya Jun was naturally quite famous.

The Blacklight rebels must have been informed in advance, knowing that he had already defected to Fel Energy.

And the guards on their side certainly didn't know he had defected.

Simply put, both sides believed A Ya Jun belonged to their own faction.

Relying on A Ya Jun's recognition, the two of them went deeper and deeper.

They very smoothly arrived at the inner hall where the sacred flame was located.

At this moment, the blue flame was still quietly burning on the altar.

But in front of the altar stood four people, subtly arrayed in two pairs.

Three of them were the three elders, and the other black-robed man Shi Li had never seen before.

But there was a faint resemblance between this person's brows and the Third Elder's.

"I never would have thought, Second Elder, that you would be turned."

Disbelief lingered in the Great Great Grand Elder's eyes.

"First Elder, I am not like you."

The Second Elder stroked the handle of her staff: "I am now only one step away from the Diamond realm—"

Her relationship with the Blacklight Society was nothing more than mutual exploitation.

"Say no more, come on."

The Great Great Grand Elder directly cast a marker.

Buzz!

A pure gray Barrier, which Shi Li had never seen before, rose, completely enclosing the two people in front of the card table.

"Father—"

On the other side, the man called out this address, his face ashen.

"Shut up! I am not your father!"

The Third Elder's lips trembled slightly from extreme anger.

He had guessed many candidates, but he had never suspected that his own son would betray the entire tribe and defect to Fel Energy.

"As long as you step aside, you are still my father."

"Today, I will cleanse the household!"

Buzz!

The card game between the two also quickly unfolded.

"What's the situation now?"

It was a rare opportunity, and Shi Li wanted to witness a duel between Emerald card players firsthand.

However, the hemispherical Barrier was obscured by pure gray, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.

"They used Spatial Isolation."

A Ya Jun, however, was clear.

"This is a prop card that prevents outside prying, and to save combat time, the flow of time within the Barrier will be much faster than outside."

Buzz—

Indeed, no sooner had he finished speaking than the Third Elder's Barrier already began to slowly recede.

It should be noted that Shi Li's previous card game with The Master had lasted nearly 20 minutes.

But now, this game was over in a few breaths.

It probably didn't even take 20 seconds.

"Third Elder!"

When the Barrier completely receded, A Ya Jun saw the Third Elder lying on the ground, his life unknown.

This cry betrayed A Ya Jun's stance, drawing a glance from the black-robed man.

"!"

But this mere glance made A Ya Jun feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, unable to move.

Thump!

A Ya Jun couldn't hold on and directly knelt on the ground.

In contrast, Shi Li was still standing there perfectly fine—picking his nose.

"A little interesting."

This made the black-robed man couldn't help but look at Shi Li a few more times.

This Blue Starian's foundation seemed good; he could actually withstand his pressure.

However, now was not the time to dwell on such matters.

None of those useless subordinates had managed to break through here, so he could only act personally.

Buzz—

As a result, precisely because of this few-second delay, the card game between the Great Great Grand Elder and the Second Elder also concluded.

The black-robed man, just before his figure flashed, saw the Second Elder spitting blood and falling to the ground.

"Where do you think you're going!"

The Great Great Grand Elder, at this moment, showed no signs of old age, his eyes wide like copper bells, and he endured the severe mental trauma to cast a marker.

Whoosh!

However, he was still 0.1 seconds too slow; the black-robed man was already flashing frequently on the long stone steps, getting closer and closer to the sacred flame on the altar.

But the Great Great Grand Elder's marker, like a shark smelling blood, chased relentlessly from behind.

And it seemed to be a fraction faster than the black-robed man.

"Just a little bit more!"

Seeing that he was about to be caught, the black-robed man flung out a card.

"Withering Holy Lord, descend!"

Amidst excited shouts, the card transformed into a black light and plunged into the sacred flame.

Boom!!!

In the next instant, the pure blue sacred flame turned completely black.

A terrifying, invisible Energy shockwave instantly spread, even obliterating the Great Great Grand Elder's marker.

The inner hall entrance was some distance from the altar, but A Ya Jun couldn't withstand this fluctuation and fainted, his eyes rolling back.

And Shi Li, who had been unconcerned before, now felt his limbs stiff and breathing difficult.

He could clearly hear his heart pounding in his ears, as if it was about to burst through his chest.

Not only because of the oppressive feeling brought by the shockwave.

But also because several lines of text suddenly popped up in front of him.

"Mark activated."

"You have been discovered."

Don't tell me, what's going on?

That Withering Holy Lord, was it the black hand that marked him earlier?!

He didn't want to watch this excitement at all anymore.

Rumble!

The next second, the black sacred flame transformed into a black teleportation gate.

It was exactly the same as the one he had seen in the Divine Stone Tower formation.

A familiar black hand, constructed from black Energy, reached out from the gate.

"Holy Lord is boundless!"

The black-robed man prostrated himself on the ground, his entire front pressed as much as possible against the surface.

However, the black hand directly bypassed him and extended forward.

When it extended all the way to the bottom of the stone steps, the length of its arm had far exceeded normal proportions, looking quite bizarre.

The black hand got closer and closer to the Great Great Grand Elder, but he couldn't move at all.

"Ugh—Ah ah ah ah!"

After a low growl erupted from his throat, he finally struggled to raise his hand a few centimeters.

"As expected of the Great Great Grand Elder, to still be able to offer a slight resistance to the Holy Lord's pressure—"

On the altar, the black-robed man slightly raised his gaze to look at the scene below.

However, the black hand completely ignored the Great Great Grand Elder and bypassed him once again.

"Pfft!"

The next second, the Great Great Grand Elder, however, spat out blood wildly.

"This is the consequence of daring to resist the Holy Lord."

The black-robed man dared not show the slightest disrespect.

The black hand continued to move forward slowly, but its rhythm gave people a sense of heaviness.

It was as if this hand belonged to an omnipotent being, capable of bestowing destruction and death at any moment.

It finally stopped when it was less than one meter away from Shi Li.

At such a close distance, Shi Li could even see the black Energy flowing on the skin of this arm.

Slowly but heavily, the black hand curled into a flicking gesture.

Shi Li had a premonition that whatever was about to be flicked out was something he absolutely could not withstand.

But even a Platinum card user like the Great Elder couldn't resist the pressure of this Fel Energy, so how could he possibly hope to escape? Ding!

As the black hand flicked, a thin black ray shot directly towards Shi Li's brow.

He was finished.

Shi Li showed a bitter smile.

“Hmm?”

But he immediately noticed something was wrong.

Just a moment ago, he couldn't even make an expression.

But at this very moment, an seemingly endless warm current swept through his entire body.

It was as if he had regained control of his body.

The deadly black ray had not caused him any harm.

“?”

It seemed the other end of the black starry sky portal was also hesitant at this moment.

“It's it!”

Shi Li had a sudden realization and indeed saw a card float out from his chest.

“Wengweng An Blessing”: Resists Fel Energy. This was an item card obtained when Cicada Wing Patrol was upgraded to three stars.

It had never been used, causing Shi Li to forget its existence.

But at this very moment, this item card actually saved its master!

Immediately after, Wengweng An Blessing began to glow.

A pleasant light yellow glow covered the entire card.

Crack! A few seconds later, Shi Li seemed to hear the sound of the card shattering.

As the owner of the card, he could clearly sense that this card was about to be destroyed.

Whoosh!

However, before it was completely destroyed, Wengweng An Blessing transformed into a stream of light and shot into the black starry sky portal.

“How dare you!”

This was the first time Shi Li heard a voice from the other side, deafening.

As Wengweng An Blessing surged in, the black starry sky portal began to gradually shrink.

The few people present could clearly sense that the aura of the Withering Saint Lord was weakening.

This, of course, wasn't him becoming weaker, but rather the passage shrinking, preventing more Energy from being transmitted through.

“How dare you be so presumptuous!”

It was at this moment that a figure arrived with a roar.

“Great Great Elder!”

The Great Elder's expression was ecstatic.

Reinforcements had arrived!

“—Is the naming of your positions so casual?”

Shi Li couldn't help but complain.

“It is said that only when the Great Elder faces a life-threatening danger will the Great Great Grand Elder, who is in seclusion, sense it and appear to help.”

A Ya Jun slowly crawled up.

“It’s good that you’re fine. I was just about to wake you up.”

Shi Li's tone held a touch of regret.

But then again, the newcomer was indeed very strong.

He couldn't even see the opponent's rank, only showing “**”.

One must know that with his current rank, even Platinum 10+ card users would at least show “Platinum **”.

Although the Great Great Grand Elder's aura was not as strong as the black hand's earlier state, it was still extremely powerful.

Whoosh!

Without another word, the Great Great Grand Elder shot a “Spatial Separation” marker towards the black hand.

Buzz!

A pure grey card table Barrier immediately rose.

Buzz—

A few seconds later, the Barrier receded.

“Pfft!!!”

The Great Great Grand Elder flew backward, spewing blood from her mouth like a thruster.

“Even the Great Great Grand Elder's attack isn't enough?”

Shi Li's heart sank.

“I'll do it!!”

As a result, another figure instantly appeared on the field.

A Ya Jun: “It's the Great Great Great Grand Elder!”

A Ya Jun: “It is said that only when the Great Great Grand Elder faces a life-threatening danger will the Great Great Great Grand Elder, who is in seclusion, appear!”

“Nonsense.”

This left Shi Li speechless.

“Pfft!!!”

However, the Great Great Great Grand Elder met the same fate.

The only difference was a little less blood sprayed and a slightly shorter distance flown backward.

“Don't think my tribe has no one left!!!”

A Ya Jun: “The Great Great Great Great Grand Elder!”

A Ya Jun: “It is said that only when the Great Great Great Grand Elder faces a life-threatening danger—”

Shi Li: “—If there are more, why don't you all come out at once? How about that?”

Shi Li even felt a hint of numbness.

No wonder the Banlan Tribe was said to be prosperous and a major tribe in the Gan Territory.

When the small ones were beaten, the big ones came, and these ancestors were like freebies.

If this were a novel, such a plot could easily be stretched to a million words, but now it was all done in one chapter.

Finally, when the sixth hidden Elder made a move, the Withering Saint Lord was finally repelled.

Completely retreating back into the portal.

Shi Li somewhat suspected that he hadn't lost at all, but was simply overwhelmed by the Elders' human wave tactics.

But regardless, repelled was repelled, no matter how it happened.

Ultimately, the Sacred Flame returned to its original color.

Only a charred card remnant, burned beyond recognition, was spat out.

Although the entire process seemed long, in reality, from the time Shi Li and A Ya Jun arrived in the inner hall until now, it had been less than 10 minutes.

“What—what happened?”

At this moment, Principal Su, who had been delayed several times along the way, finally arrived late.

“You absolutely wouldn't believe it.”

Shi Li spread his hands.

“Is that so—”

Principal Su looked at the old men and women being carried away on stretchers, and he unconsciously became more reserved.

Because Shi Li couldn't see, but he could see clearly.

These were all freaking Diamond card users!

After Shi Li briefly recounted the process, a look of respect appeared on Principal Su's face.

“It sounds like this is the effect of an item card similar to a ‘Lifespan Lock’.”

“Lifespan Lock?”

“That's right. You need to know that even though Diamond card users have long lifespans, they are not infinite.

So they extend their lifespan through an item card called ‘Lifespan Lock’.

One end of the Lifespan Lock is connected to Party A, and the other end is connected to Party B.

Under normal circumstances, Party B enters a state of hibernation, isolated from the outside world, to greatly extend their lifespan.

They only awaken when Party A's life is in critical danger.

However, this type of item card is not something you find on the roadside; it's very expensive.

It's usually used by powerful card users who have little lifespan left, feel no hope of further advancement, and are worried about their descendants.”

“So, can I understand this as the Banlan Tribe Elders engaging in some kind of disguised pyramid scheme?”

Although his tone was not very polite, Shi Li felt much better.

At least it let him know there was a reason for it, and it wasn't just random chaos.

He could sleep well tonight.

At the same time, recalling the scene just now, his perception changed from “feeding Fel Energy” to “advancing wave after wave”.

It was indeed worthy of admiration.

“Young friend Shi Li, please forgive my rudeness.”

Just then, the Great Elder, supported by someone, walked over.

He glanced at Principal Su, then directly ignored him.

“Hey, I cleared out several Fel Energy card users on my way here.”

Principal Su was displeased with his attitude.

“I know, that's why I didn't chase you out.”

Today was indeed a special situation; he wouldn't stoop to the level of this love rival.

“If it weren't for you, our Banlan Tribe might have been doomed.”

The Great Elder's tone towards Shi Li was sincere.

“If it weren't for me, I might have—become a corpse.”

Shi Li thought the other party was referring to defeating The Master.

“No, if you hadn't reduced the Energy level of that Fel Energy, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to deal with it easily.”

I don't think you handled it easily either.

Shi Li swallowed that thought.

“No, no, not at all.”

He humbly waved his hand instead.

Actually, the Great Elder was being rather tactful.

The Banlan Tribe's reserves of old folks were certainly not infinite.

If the teleportation channel hadn't been weakened by Wengweng An Blessing, leading to the weakening of the Withering Saint Lord, the last Elder truly wouldn't have been able to win.

But how could such a thing be said? Don't the Elders have any dignity?

“Please help us keep today's events a secret.

Also, I owe you an apology.”

The Great Elder patted Shi Li's shoulder: “After the battlefield is cleared, I will make an exception and personally preside over the Sacred Flame Baptism for you.”

“Okay, no problem, I'm not in a hurry.”

Shi Li saw that the Great Elder's nosebleed had started flowing again, and he couldn't bear to say anything more.

“Consider yourself sensible.”

And Principal Su, upon hearing that the Great Elder would personally preside over the baptism, immediately showed a satisfied expression.